Email the Premier!

Take Action to Reduce Child Poverty in BC!

Every year, First Call releases a Child Poverty Report Card for BC, which includes recommendations for the provincial government to reduce BC’s child and family poverty crisis.

First Call’s overarching recommendation has long been for the provincial government to adopt a comprehensive poverty reduction plan with legislated targets and timelines. In 2018, we are encouraged to see this is now in progress, and that a cabinet minister has been given the authority and responsibility to ensure government achieves its targets on time. We call on the provincial government to meet or exceed the goals set out in their Poverty Reduction Strategy Act, to reduce B.C.’s overall poverty rate by 25% and child poverty rate by 50% in the next five years.

British Columbians agree that it is inexcusable that 1 in 5 BC children are poor, and we invite you to email Premier Horgan asking him to act on the Provincial Recommendations in the 2018 BC Child Poverty Report Card.

Email to the Premier:

Subject: Premier Horgan: Take Action on Child Poverty!

Message:

Dear Premier Horgan,
(cc'ed to Andrew Wilkinson, Leader of the Opposition and Andrew Weaver, Leader of the BC Green Party)

I am writing to you today to express my support for the recommendations outlined in the 2018 BC Child Poverty Report Card published by First Call: BC Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition, and to urge you to adopt them.

It is unacceptable that in a province as wealthy as ours, one out of every five children continues to live in poverty. In 2018, governments cannot claim to be ignorant of the abundant evidence of the harm done to children’s health and development by growing up in poverty, nor of the huge additional costs in health care, education, the justice system and lost productivity we are already paying by keeping poverty rates so high.

First Call’s overarching recommendation has long been for the provincial government to adopt a comprehensive poverty reduction plan with legislated targets and timelines. In 2018, we are encouraged to see this is now in progress, and that a cabinet minister has been given the authority and responsibility to ensure government achieves its targets on time. We join First Call, however, in calling on the provincial government to meet or exceed the goals set out in their Poverty Reduction Strategy Act, to reduce B.C.’s overall poverty rate by 25% and child poverty rate by 50% in the next five years.

Child poverty is not inevitable, if the provincial government implemented the recommendations outlined in the Report Card, a dramatic reduction in child and family poverty in BC is possible.

First Call will respect your privacy and keep you up to date about this campaign and others.

It’s cold, my son is cold, I want to have the heat up but I can’t. You shouldn’t have to turn your heat off just to make sure you can pay your bill.

BL Larsen

2017 First Call: BC Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition

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First Call: BC Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition is a non-partisan coalition of over 100 provincial and regional organizations who have united their voices to put children and youth first in BC through public education, community mobilization and public policy advocacy.

Our Vision is that all BC’s children and youth have the rights, opportunities and resources required to thrive.